5 Must-Do’s to Optimize your ABC Experience after you get home

Get the most out of ABC after you return home

We hope you had a great ABC and that your meetings were both fun and profitable! With all the time prepping for it, ABC does go by in a flash and it’s often hard to figure out what you got out of it. That’s why we wrote up this list of things to do post-ABC to get the most out of it as you continue your marketing to pregnant and new moms.

1. Connect via LinkedIn

If you didn’t connect with people you were going to meet before ABC (a good idea we mentioned in our ABC prep post), or you met new people, take time this week to go through cards and enter their data. You can also use a variety of apps that enter cards in your database, and some notably a paid service from Evernote that will set up your LinkedIn invites almost automatically. In the beginning, when LinkedIn was a glorified Rolodex, this may not have been so important, but now, with LInkedIn Groups specializing in key interest areas and SEO-friendly linking for your company and brand, it becomes more important. Do this now while the folks you met still remember who you are and accept your invite right away.

2. Write thank you notes.

Hand-written is the most powerful because it’s rare, but email works as well. The courtesy part is nice, but try to be as specific as you can about what you remember about agreed-on next steps. We all need reminders to keep on track, especially after the craziness of ABC. Even if someone agreed to something after a few drinks at an after-party, if it’s important to you, remind them of what you’re expecting next. I know this is a big task since I’m staring at a pile of more than 40 cards myself, but it’s really a key part of making the most of a trade show.

3. Fill in your notes

Hopefully, you’ve already done this while your memory is fresh, but try to write down as much as you can about each meeting, including baby’s names, common points of interest, and jokes that were told. You’ll be happy to have these notes when you’re prepping for the next ABC.

4. Write down lessons learned

Did you time your meetings wrong? Invite the wrong people? Stay at the wrong hotel? Wear the wrong shoes? Don’t repeat the same mistakes next year by making note now about what worked and what didn’t. While a lot about the ABC experience seems painfully obvious now, within weeks, you’ll have forgotten 95% of it. I keep this type of record for all my conferences not because I’m by nature a list-maker, but because it saves tons to time when I’m planning and packing next time.

5. Set your tickler file

With the best of intentions, it’s easy to say we’ll get back to projects and then let events of next month take over. That’s where a tickler file comes in handy. This used to be literally a file folder full of follow-up items for a specific week or month. Now it’s easy just to stick a reminder in your calendar or a to-do item app. Don’t forget this important step while follow-up items are clear in your mind. Within a week from now, they’ll seem less urgent and less likely to ever occur.

Still work to be done.

It’s a short list, but you’ll need to put in some effort this week to get it done. If you do most of these things, you’ll be better set for your next ABC and truly making a mark with your new friends and contacts in your continuing effort to market to new moms.

If you ever want to talk about prepping for ABC, advertising, or anything related to marketing to pregnant and new moms, just click below. We love to talk babies and how to help new moms.

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